Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Doom Patrol # 17

By Koppy McFad
December 10, 2010 - 23:22

The Doom Patrol are tricked into attending a party, to find that their hosts are a family of murderous immortals.

This issue is an example of both innovative writing and self-indulgence. It opens with a "recap" page that does not recap the events of the past few issues but instead makes fun of them, using the "See Dick Run" language of kiddie books. Why the writer does this is a mystery. It isn't funny and fails to fill in readers on what they missed.

When the story actually starts, more attention is given to the villains of the piece, a perverted family of European nobles who have been serving various outlaw regimes for years. The dialogue and narration here is engrossing even as it leaves hints on the real nature of this family and the grim details of the services they provide.

The writing does help set the stage for the horror and suspense that the story eventually serves up. But along the way, we get reams of banter where the Doom Patrol members exchange sharp remarks and grumpy asides. All this may make the writer look really clever but it slows down the story and takes up valuable panel space.

The detailed and luxurious art serves the story well, giving a foreshadowing of the dark decadence of the threat facing the Patrol. But it could have been a little more dynamic.

 

Rating: 7.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12